Fender shield construction



March 2, 1943.

A. P. FERGUESON FENDER SHiELD CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 20, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 YEP fie rwoe P fecutscu.

March 2, 1943. A. P. FERGUES ON 2,312,536

FENDER SHIELD CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 20, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H Ann!"- s1.

Patented Mar. 2, 1943 FENDER SHIELD CONSTRUCTION Arthur P. Fergueson, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Houdaille-Hershey Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application February 20, 1941, Serial No. 379,765

4 Claims. (Cl. 280-153) This invention relates to a, fender shield and assembly, and more particularly to a fender shield having novel mounting means thereon for detachably securing the fender shield to the fender.

In the vehicle industry, and particularly in the automobile industry, various means have been utilized to improve the appearance of vehicle fenders. The usual vehicle fender is provided with an opening which afiords access to the vehicle wheel, and which permits the ready removal of the wheel in a generally axial direction. Since the modern trend of design has been to cover or partly cover this opening to improve the general appearance of the vehicle fender. detachable fender shields have been employed for this purpose.

As the term fender shield shall hereinafter be employed, it refers to any member which is adapted to be secured to a fender or other portion of a vehicle body for the purpose of covering the opening in the fender or vehicle body which is provided for access to or removal of the vehicle wheel. Furthermore, as the term fender shall hereinafter be employed, it refers to any form of wheel fender in its broad sense, whether such fender be separate from the vehicle body part, partly separate from the vehicle body part, or actually an integral part of the vehicle body, and whether or not it projects outwardly away from the principal body portion of the vehicle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fender shield of novel construction and characteristics, and particularly a fender shield having novel means for securing the shield to a vehicle fender.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fender and fender shield assembly which is economical to manufacture, which may be quickly assembled and disassembled, and which is rugged and reliable in use.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide novel mounting means for a fender shield having a novel type of supporting arm or trunnion member at each of the lower corners of the shield.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel fender shield construction having a novel latching arm arrangement thereon, and also having a novel means for supporting the handle end of the latching arm when the latchin arm is in its latched position.

Another and still further object of the present invention is to provide a fender shield construction having a novel cushioning bead or rubber molding around its fender engaging edge, as well as novel means for securing the cushioning bead to the fender shield.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention itself, however, both as to its organization and manner of construction, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of a'vehicle fender with a fender shield mounted thereon;

Figure 2 is an enlarged rear elevational view of the fender shield assembly shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View of the fender shield assembly as taken along the line III-J11 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is 'a generally horizontal sectional view of the fender sheild assembly as taken along the irregular section line IV-IV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a greatly enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of the fender shield assembly as taken along the line VV of Figure 2 and. illustrating the manner in which the fender shield is seated on the offset shoulder of the fender;

Figure 6 is an isometric view of the lower left corner of the fender shield when viewed from the back in Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a greatly enlarged view of the lefthand portion of Figure 4 showing the manner in which one of the supporting arms or trunnion members engages the fender;

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view of the portion of the assembly shown in Figure '7 and as taken along the line VIII-VIII of Figure '7; and,

Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional View taken along the line IX--IX of Figure 8 showing the manner in which the cushioning bead or rubber moulding is secured to the fender shield.

Referring now to the Various figures of the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the present invention, there is illustrated therein a vehicle fender l0 having a fender shield H mounted thereon which partially covers the wheel access opening I2 in the outer depending side wall [3 of the fender it]. While the fender I 0 may assume a wide variety of shapes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and may, indeed, be formed integral and made a part of the body itself (not shown), the fender ID has been illustrated as In order to permit the fender shield II to be mounted so that its edge doesnot directly eri-' gage the outer depending side .wall I.3 .0f the.

fender II], the fender I is provided with .an :offset shoulder I6 which is integrally connected to the depending wall portion I3 by a connecting flange IT. The shoulder I6 has its peripheral edge folded back on itself in an open fold as at I8 to reinforce and stiffen the offset shoulder I6 around its free edge. .It'w'ill be noted from an inspection ofFigure 2 that thecfolded back :peripheral portion extends substantially completely around the upper opening portion I;51but?ter minates just short of the junction of :the upper opening portion I with the lower. opening .por-

tion 14. .It will .furtherbe observed that the extremity of the fold I8 defines the upper opening .I.5. The .depth of the connecting flange I1 is such that the fender shield :II is seated on the offset shoulder IS in such a mann'er that the outer face of the fender shield 'IxI .issubstantially flush with the outer face of the depending wall I3 of the fender I0.

The lower edge .of the .fender IiIl .is provided with a rearwardly extending flat flange :I;9 which extends around the lower opening .I 4 andmerges with the folded back portion 'I;8 of the .upper opening I5. That is to say, the .flatflange which forms the base edge of the fender I0 extends .a'round the corner .of the junction of the upper opening I5 with the 'lower opening M until it meets the folded back portion I8, there being of course a flat flange :portion 26 a short distance above each corner, or, in other words, until it meets the folded iportion I8.

The fender shield 'I I' comprises a sheetmetal panel 2| which is bulged very slightly outwardly .(see Figure 3), and which is large enough to cover the upper wheel opening 15 as well as to overlap the offset shoulder I16. More specifically, .the panel '21 is dimensioned to be positioned snugly within the connecting flange I] and to be seated on the offset shoulder 116 of the fender ID. The top and end edges of the fender shield I] are bent back into a flange portion '22 upon which is mounted a cushioning bead or rubber molding 23. The rubber'molding or cushioning bead is shaped to overlie the outer face of the .flange v'22 andalso to overlie the inner face of the flange-22 in .portions 24 and 25, respectively. As an inspection of Figure 5 will show, the rear edge of the flange 2211s bent out as at 26 to provide a lip portion for aiding in retaining the llllbber molding 23 in place on the fendershield .I I'. It will further be observed that the rubber molding 23 extends around this lip portion 26 to provide an abutment 'portion 2"! of the molding which is arranged to be directly seated on the offset shoulder I6 of the fender Ill. The molding 23 'issecured to the :fender'shield .I1I :bya 'pair of drive'screws 28 which. are driven through the rubber molding 23 as well as through the flange .2 2'.

For reasons which will at once be apparent to those skilled in the art, the inner portion 25 of the short leg portion 35.

fender It.

the rubber molding 23 is cut away at the two lower corners of the fender shield, as may be seen in Figure '7, and is also cut away at the top of the fender shield opposite the latching mechanism, presently to be described and as shown in Figure 3.

The lower edge of the panel 2I of the fender shield II is bent back to form a flat flange 29. This flat flange 29 not only stiffens the fender shield but also provides a seat for other elements of the assembly hereinafter'to be described.

The fender shield II is further reinforced by a brace barlor strut 30 which extends upwardly behind the panel 2| from the lower base flange 29 to a point'in proximity to the top of the fender shield II. This strut 30 has a base portion 3! which is seated onthe base flange 29 and which is riveted or bolted thereto a at 32. In order that the strut 30 may possess sufficient rigidity without an undue amount of metal being required therefor, it 'is preferably channel-shaped .in cross-section.

The upper end of the strut 30 is provided-with an angle plate 33 which is welded or otherwise suitablysecured to the upper end of the strut 39 and which :is arranged to be seated'on the under face of theflange .22. This angle plate 33 is also preferably welded or otherwise :suitably secured to the .flange portion 22' in order to provide a rigidzstructure.

Mounted on the strut '30 is a latching arm 34 having a short :legportion 35 and along leg portion 36 disposed at an angle with respect to It "will "further be observed from aninspection of Figure. 3 that the short leg portion 35 is bent to extend :around and behind the folded marginal portion If! of the The latching arm 34 maybe conveniently mounted onthe strut 3G by :a mounting stud 31 carried on the strut 30. The long leg portion 36fis :of "such length that when it 'is'moved to a position to extend substantially vertically downwardly -'(i. re toan unlatched position) it will extend a substantial distance below the base edge 29 of the fender shield H. The extremity of the long leg portion '35 is bent outwardly away from the shield as at 31 (Figure :4) and "then parallel to theface of the fender shield again'in an end portion 38. One side of the end portion 38 is bent obliquely toward the panel 2! of the fender shield as at 39 for a reason presently to be explained.

It has heretofore been the practice to seat the lower end of the latching arm on the base edge or base flange of the fender shield. In

view of the fact that the latching arm necessarily extends downwardly to the base flange at an oblique angle, it is clear that a portion of the latching arm would extend below the base flange of the fender and be observable from the outside of the vehicle provided that an offset end portion is employed on the latching arm. This offset end portion has of course been necessary in order that the operator may easily grasp the same. In order to overcome the unsightly appearance of having a portion of the latching lever extending below the base edge of the fender shield and still retain the advantage of an offset end portion which may be quickly and easily grasped, an angle bracket 40 is provided upon which the lower edge of the latching lever 34 is seated. More specifically, the bracket 40 is bolted or riveted to the base flange 29 as at Al.

right angles to each other but which both extend at oblique angles to the base edge of the fender. As an inspection of Figures 2 and 4 of the drawings will show, the bent out portion 31 of the lower end of the latching lever 34 is arranged to be seated on the oblique portion 4| of the bracket 40; while the bent in corner 33 is arranged to extend under the portion 4!. -When the lower end of the latching lever 34 is disposed in this position, it will be observed that the short leg portion 35 extends vertically upwardly and is in locked engagement with the folded back edge I8 of the fender I0. It will thus be understood by those skilled in the art that the arrangement of the lower end of the latching lever and the bracket is such that the latching lever is held in its latched position. This, of course, prevents jarring loose of the latching mechanism of the fender shield with a resultant dislodgement of the shield from the fender. Due to the fact that there is a certain amount of give or resiliency in the entire fender shield assembly, it will readily be understood that the latching lever 34 may be freed from its position on the bracket 40 by pulling the lower end of the latching lever 34 away from the panel 2| until the turned out portion 3'! of the latching lever rides clear of the bracket 40.

The fender shield II is vertically supported and laterally secured against dislodgment at its two lower corners by a pair of supporting arms or trunnion members 43 and 44. In view of the fact that the two supporting arms or trunnion members 43 and 44 are very similar in character, only one will be described in detail. Referring more particularly to Figures 6, '7 and 8, the trunnion member or supporting arm 43 includes a base portion 45 which is spot welded to the base flange 29 of the fender shield H, an intermediate portion 46 which is spot welded to the flange portion 22 and an end portion 47 which extends at right angles from the panel portion 2| of the fender shield H. The end portion 4'! is notched out as at 48 so as to provide a hook-like shape to the end portion 41. This end portion 4! is arranged to be hooked through holes 49 provided for that purpose in the shoulder I! of the fender I9. Due to the close proximity of the end portion 41 to the flange 22, the inner portion 25 of the rubber molding 23 is cut back opposite this trunnion member 43. Due to the fact that the base flange 29 of the fender shield H in proximity to the corner is curving obliquely downwardly, it will be observed that the base portion 45 of the supporting arm or trunnion member 43 is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the intermediate portion 46 which is seated on the flange 22.

The supporting arm 44 at the opposite end of the fender shield II is formed in substantially the identical manner as that described in connection with the supporting arm 43. The only difference is that the base portion will not make quite as an acute angle with the intermediate portion thereof, due to the fact that the base portion 29 of the fender shield II at this point has not quite as deep a slope as it does at the other end.

To mount the fender shield II on the fender 10, the shield is grasped by the person inserting the shield and held at an angle of approximately 37 with respect to the outer depending side wall l3 of the fender it. While in this position, the supporting arms or trunnion members are hooked through associated openings in the shoulder ll of the fender Ill. The shield H is then rocked about these supporting arms 43 and 44 so as to move the top edge of the fender shield toward the fender. This rocking movement of course takes place in a plane transverse to the plane of the fender opening. When the shield has been rocked into such a position that the rubber molding partially engages the connecting flange H, the latching arm is rocked from aposition in which the lower leg portion is depending substantially vertically downwardly to the position as shown in Figure 2. That is to say, before the shield is hooked onto the fender the latching arm 34 is swung so that the short leg portion 35 thereof extends substantially horizontally away from the strut 30. As the short leg portion 35 is rocked upwardly it will be understood that the top and end edges of the fender shield are pulled into tight seated engagement against the offset shoulder l6 and the connecting flange ii. In order that a tight fit may be assured, the rubber molding is preferably so dimensioned that when the shield is pulled into tight seated engagement, the rubber molding 24 is placed under a slight compressive force. That is to say, the movement of the shield into a position against the ofiset shoulder 16 of the fender H] is such as to tightly squeeze the rubber against the offset shoulder l6 and the connecting flange IT.

When the latching lever 34 is rocked so as to place the short leg portion 35 in its latched position, the lower end of the long leg portion 36 is disposed so that the outwardly extending portion 3'! is seated on the bracket 43 with the flared in corner portion 39 hooked under the oblique portion 4| of the bracket 4%. The fender shield is now tightly latched and secured to the fender H].

To remove the fender shield l I from the fender ID, the lower end of the long leg portion 36 is grasped by reaching under the fender shield, and the end thereof is then pulled outwardly and downwardly. The downward movement of the latching lever 34 is continued until the short leg portion 35 rides clear and free of the turned edge IS. The shield is then rocked out and lifted out of its hooked engagement with the fender.

While I have shown a particular embodiment of my invention, it will, of course, be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and I, therefore, contemplate by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A fender shield including a panel, the edges of which merge into rearwardly extending top, end and base flanges, and supporting arms each having an angularly shaped base seated against and secured to one of said end flanges and said base flange.

2. A fender shield including a panel, the edges of which merge into rearwardly extending top, end and base flanges, and supporting arms for supporting said shield on a vehicle fender, said supporting arms each having a hook-shaped end portion extending substantially at right angles to said panel, and a base, said base being angularly shaped to fit and be seated against one of said end flanges and said base flange.

3. A fender shield including a panel, the edges of which merge into rearwardly extending top, end and base flanges. at least one of said end flanges and said base flange forming an acute angle with each other, and a supporting arm having a base seated against and secured to both said end flange and to said base flange at their junction where they make an acute angle with each other.

4. A fender shield including a panel, the edges of which merge into rearwardly extending top, end and base flanges, supporting arms for detachably securing said fender shield on a Vehicle fender, each of said supporting arms having a 10 double base portion and a free arm portion extending substantially at right angles to said panel, one part of said double base portion being secured to said base flange and the other part of said double base portion extending upwardly and secured to one of said end flanges, the lower edge of said free end portion of said supporting arm having a notch cut out of the lower edge thereof for hooking engagement with a vehicle fender. ARTHUR P. FERGUESON. 

